Should we buy used

[mehart]

We have never owned a toy hauler and we are thinking of buying a used 2010 raptor to see if we like it before buying a newer model. The raptor is a tri axle and we own a Ford F 350 srw. It’s a 6.7 l diesel. Does anyone have any advice on buying used?
Thank you!
Maria

[hdrolling]

We bought a used 2015 Raptor in 2015, as long as you get it checked out to make sure it was properly maintained it should be fine.

Have the roof checked out really good, and if everything else works I don't se the issue. Maybe invest in some new good name brand tires if it doesn't already have some.

[Badbart56]

We did the same thing you did. Do yourself a favor though and hire an RV specialist to do a buyers inspection. A new roof can easily cost you over $7000. That said, we paid less than half what ours cost new. And the 6.7 will handle that quite easily, but a Dually would add stability with that much weight.

[sourdough]

I don't buy anything used, but that's just me. Sometimes pre-owned means the previous person "fixed" things for you. For us, it usually means things were messed up.

More importantly, you are buying a triple axle Raptor? and going to drop it on a single axle 350? Have you looked at those weights? I'm afraid you may have a rude surprise and find you are way overweight.

[chuckster57]

All 4 of my fivers were bought new. People trade them in for a variety of reasons and being somebody that has to go over them when they sell, I can assure you more often than not it’s because of an undisclosed issue.

[wiredgeorge]

I don't buy new vehicles; cars, trucks, motorcycles or RVs. I check out what I am going to buy and am happy to let the previous owner eat the depreciation. I own a totally reliable 2002 Cougar 5ver I was able to pay cash for and not affect my finances a bit. It is a good idea to check out the trailer for weight and such as your truck may not be a good match from a towing standpoint. The folks here can help with that stuff as we have some very knowledgeable towing gurus. If you get the specs on the trailer you want to buy and get the specs from the doorplate on your truck, you will get a good sense if the trailer you are looking at is a good match for your towing capability. I prefer to have have my truck greatly under stressed. That is also just a personal choice but is safer than trying to haul too much weight.

[AbHDToyHauler]

We bought used and so far are quite happy. I read how many people had issues with new and figured well for less then half price of new I can fix whatever comes up. Hopefully not much but we are prepared if it does. I do have nearly every tool know to man though so that also tempered our decision. LOL

[Cbrez]

We looked at used 5ers for two years. Never found one with a floor plan we liked that looked like it had been taken care of. Perhaps that’s a dealership trick to get you to buy new. Well it worked and we finally bought new. No regrets though. Very happy with the Montana.

[roadglide]

From a dealer or private individuals? Anything you buy will more then likely have to repair it your self.

[BigJason]

I vote used but that has bit me on this last purchase. My 2013 Raptor came from an individual out of state who took pride and care of the unit. A year later, we had to have a larger unit and traded it at a dealer for a 2015 Fuzion and it has been a headache. I will say it's no fault of the dealer, they took it on trade or auction but failed to do anything but list it. I take responsibility for not thoroughly checking it out, go with your gut instinct - I almost did and should have walked away during the PDI. My 2013 was flawless so whoever purchased it had a good experience.

[FlyingAroundRV]

We went for new. I started researching used trailers and a) couldn't find a floor plan that inspired me and b) there wasn't a significant difference (IMO) in the prices unless you went with trailers that were 6 or more years old. Looking through the forums at the problems people were having with trailers, new and old, I decided to go new and see what turned up. Also, at some point, Keystone switched over from wooden wall frames to aluminum wall frames. That struck a chord with me for a) weight saving, and b) rot resistance.
Another question to ask yourself is: Metal outside walls or Filon? Personally, I prefer the Filon. When I looked at all those individual silicone joints at the corners of the trailers with corrugated metal sides, all I could see was the potential for leaks.

[SummitPond]

We had similar thoughts as Scott ^^^. The aluminum framing for weight and rot-resistance and single-sheet panels for exterior walls to minimize leaks (both highly recommended to us by other family members who camp). Disadvantages for the single-sheet panels: can't replace a single strip if the panel is damaged - the whole side must be changed, and delamination. We haven not had either of these issues (though the latter has been discussed elsewhere on the forum) but it may be something to consider. We looked at used (private seller) and decided the risk for potential problems wasn't worth the small saving they were offering in sales cost. When the DW saw the floor plan of our purchased-new TT she decided this was the one.

[flybouy]

The first 2 campers we bought were used. They were cheap and had some problems. Our thoughts were if we didn't like camping or found we didn't have the time that we wouldn't waste a great deal of money. After that we bought new as the units themselves, floor plans, weight for vehicle at the time, and other factors were considered. No one can recommend what's best for you. You must decide what fits your budget and needs.
Good luck in your search and have fun searching.

[German Shepherd Guy]

Our first two were used. Has some problems but nothing major. ;) Thing to remember is that TTs are by their very nature built so that YOU will be doing a lot of upkeep. If the person you are buying used from knows this then better chance they kept up on it. Things to look for: Was the TT stored outside or under a roof? How do the tires look? And here be looking for the manufacture date, not just if they have tread. TT tires typically wear out long before their tread does. Does the floor feel "spongy"? (avoid that one) :nonono: Is the ceiling inside "bubbled" (another thing to avoid). :facepalm: What condition is the battery in? In other words how well maintained is this "tool" ?

So we did OK with both our used :rolleyes: and so we bought new this fall. :cool: BUT, I am fully aware that buying 'new" does not absolve the serious RVer from still having to be mechanically inclined. It IS NOT like buying a new car. :eek:

But the reason we did was so that once something was "fixed" I would know it is done right and can move onto the next issue. I even built a pole barn just to house my new purchase a year before we bought it. It WILL BE the last TT I buy this side of the grave. :flowers:
Good Luck and have fun looking. Don't be in a hurry.

Oak

[FlyingAroundRV]

Another thing to consider when buying used (but also applies to new TTs) is that every time you tow your little house on wheels down the highway, it undergoes the equivalent of a hurricane and an earthquake. Given that they are built to be as LIGHT as possible, expect that there will be issues you'll need to attend to. Buying used, it might not be so easy to find out if the previous owner looked after the things that come loose or break during towing. Also, it won't be easy to discern the state of the bearings and brakes unless you (or someone doing an inspection for you) mucks in and gets their hands dirty. But do ask about those things and if the owner hedges or evades the question, say "bye bye".

[TYHLR]

We have never owned a toy hauler and we are thinking of buying a used 2010 raptor to see if we like it before buying a newer model. The raptor is a tri axle and we own a Ford F 350 srw. It’s a 6.7 l diesel. Does anyone have any advice on buying used?
Thank you!
Maria

Maria, I purchased a used 3602 Raptor and have been very pleased and no problems. Before the purchase both the previous owner and I did a complete wall to wall check both interior and exterior and all systems run-up inspection before any money changed hands. I recently returned from a 1500 mi round trip with the camper, lived in it everyday for two weeks and had zero issues. It is a great camper to let you know if this is something that you would like to pursue long term.

As other have already suggested, any Raptor is too heavy to tow with a SRW truck. With all of our gear in the camper and all tanks empty the weight on my drive axle is almost 7k which I suspect is beyond the capacity of your SRW truck. For towing a Raptor you are well in dually territory.

Hope this helps.

[Phil Saran]

I wanted to buy used, but it has not worked out that way.
In 2015 we bought a Thor Hurricane 34E MH, wife fell in love with it's layout.
Slept 7 and 2 baths (we have 5 grandkids). Never had more than 2 of them
at a time.

Sold it after 3 years and 14K miles, took a $30K hit to sell. The buyers bank
would only loan so much $$ on it.

Wasted 6 months trying to buy a bank repo 5th wheel trailer in 2018, never
happened. We ran out of time for a trip and ended up buying a new 2019.

It was worth the trip to Rapid City South Dakota from Denver to save $17K
over the pricing for the same trailer in our area.

[Bnrc73]

When buying my vehicles I’ve always leaned towards new. That new car smell is hard to beat. As far as RVs, I’ll always look for used first. If you do your due diligence, and know what your looking at, the money you save can easily pay for new tires and a few small repairs. My camping buddy bought a brand new Alpine in 2016. Has nothing but problems. Granted warranty covered a lot of the issues but his 5er sat at Camping world for a grand total of 5 months in the last 2 years. My 2010 Montana has yet to cost me a dime, and we love the floor plan. Bottom line is that a new trailer can be worry free or a nightmare on wheels. So can a used unit. Just find the floor plan you like and roll with it. Good Luck.

[DonnieBlitz]

In our case we looked for a used coach, 5th wheel to be exact. We knew the exact lay out we wanted. We couldn't find a used one at much if any of a discount to the brand new one we bought. We bought our coach right after the new tax law came out which I think is what spiked the downturn in pricing. I also liked the fact we could get the extended service plan reasonable, which we purchased. As far as the tow vehicle I would never tow a triaxle 5th wheel with any thing less than a dually. I have towed 20' box trailers and dump trailers and know what they feel like behind my 2500 Dodge diesel SRW. We bought a used 2012 Dodge Ram dually diesel 3500 Laramie quite reasonable with a 125,000 miles on it. What you might want to consider is upgrading your axles to the MorRyde system and adding disc brakes the same time. I have been hearing good things from fellow toy haulers about both. We are strongly looking into this ourselves.

[Local150]

I bought a used 2011 Dutchman Denali and had some issues I should have found before buying g but didn't. I went back to the dealer he swore he was unaware of the issues, and fixed everything and even gave me a 100 gift certificate for merchandise,, a lot of the differences I have read here is the differences in dealers,, I have bought 2 used 5vers from different dealers and they were both awesome

[sandy43]

I've always bought new, being an RV, truck, or car. That's just me.

[Danno]

Bought a used 2010 361LEV Raptor last year, fella bought it new and loaded, towed it home and parked it in a building, became terminally sick before he could used it.

In 2005 bought a 2004 Arctic fox 1150B truck camper from Mr. Warn that owned Warn winch, use only for grand kids football games. Toilet/shower and stove/oven still had stickers, never been used...

Good deals are out there, I hate to say what I paid for the two above...:nonono:

[Bohdan]

Yeah, this is the milli0n dollar question. Wife and I are planning a trip for a year. So in lieu of buying a depreciating asset, we opted for the used. We knew what we were looking for as a tri-axle fifth wheel with a 14' garage. Our intent is to sell it after our trip. At one time, I only found three in the state of Florida where the prices were I think high. So, the story continues we found a 2010 Keystone Fuzion Limited Edition II in Michigan. Price was great and in excellent condition. NEver owned an RV before so I had no idea what I was looking for. Hail mary........ It was a good call. Everything so far of the mechanical works. I did have a small window leak. Good luck.

[travelin texans]

Yeah, this is the milli0n dollar question. Wife and I are planning a trip for a year. So in lieu of buying a depreciating asset, we opted for the used. We knew what we were looking for as a tri-axle fifth wheel with a 14' garage. Our intent is to sell it after our trip. At one time, I only found three in the state of Florida where the prices were I think high. So, the story continues we found a 2010 Keystone Fuzion Limited Edition II in Michigan. Price was great and in excellent condition. NEver owned an RV before so I had no idea what I was looking for. Hail mary........ It was a good call. Everything so far of the mechanical works. I did have a small window leak. Good luck.

You didn't state your tow vehicle. Hopefully not towing it with your F250 or a 2500 of either brand. That thing will be 1 ton dually required at minimum.

[Northofu1]

I bought used first as I knew I had much to learn, and currently have a list of what I want in next trailer and how to find it.

[wiredgeorge]

I bought used first as I knew I had much to learn, and currently have a list of what I want in next trailer and how to find it.

A very intelligent way to approach buying. You may even want to go round two with another and THEN decide to fork over buckets of money on a depreciating camper as the first iteration may not point out EVERY feature wanted. By then you will an old hand and might just opt for a permanent 3rd RV which is used as you got used to NOT eating depreciation! :popcorn:

[Northofu1]

A very intelligent way to approach buying. You may even want to go round two with another and THEN decide to fork over buckets of money on a depreciating camper as the first iteration may not point out EVERY feature wanted. By then you will an old hand and might just opt for a permanent 3rd RV which is used as you got used to NOT eating depreciation! :popcorn:

Depreciation is in the eye of the beholder :lol:

It only matters if you buy at MSRP or want to sell it. :popcorn:

[sourdough]

Depreciation is in the eye of the beholder :lol:

It only matters if you buy at MSRP or want to sell it. :popcorn:


Depreciation is life....fact, when dealing with RVs, boats etc. (toys). Their price isn't going anywhere but down whether you buy it new or 15 years old, so, thinking you buy something "old" or "used" prevents you from "eating" depreciation is faulty - a toy WILL depreciate.

Depreciation IS in the eye of the beholder. I buy new - I have no use for others rejects or problems. I absolutely know, and expect, to take a hit on depreciation when buying new cars, trucks, trailers, boats etc. That is totally acceptable to me as opposed to the alternatives. You just make sure you get the best possible sales price and go with it.

I totally understand those that feel differently; my dad was that way. He felt buying anything new was throwing money away. My mom was the only person in the house that would go buy anything new of any value. I observed that until I left at 16.

New vs used, GM vs Ford vs Ram, blue vs green et al. Everyone has an opinion, and you know, whatever it is, for them, it's right. It does not make anyone else right or wrong. Have fun with whatever you like....:)

[itat]

We’ve bought 3 of our 4 trailers used. Only one of the 3 used units had a problem I couldn’t deal with. The other 2 had no problems at all. When buying used, you need to know what you’re buying, and be VERY picky and patient.

Chuckster57 is correct that people sell/trade their units for a reason. Those reasons could be lack of use or wanting something bigger/smaller or the floorplan just doesn’t work for them as well as they thought it would. Of course people want to unload a problem, too, so do your best to inspect it thoroughly and avoid buying somebody else’s problem.

[Theoldroaddog]

I would check the weights first! With a SRW and a three axle toy hauler, you may need a DRW. As for weights pin in the bed and the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight ratings. Also long bed or short. The longer the wheel base on the tow vehicle, the less of a chance of the tail wagging the dog.